Story Headlines for
December 26,
2013(Not all articles are listed. Read front page news by clicking
on the link in the lower left column.)These are NOT the paid access links. Click on the link near
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How's The Weather.

Riverside Pharmacy robbery still not
resolvedClearwaterCounty Sheriff Chris Goetz said
Monday the October armed robbery at Riverside Pharmacy remains an open case. He said the department
has followed up on all the leads and the case has never been
resolved. The robbery occurred Oct. 6 when a masked armed person
entered the pharmacy through an open back door and walked into
the pharmacy cubicle, demanded drugs which he received and
walked back out the back door and disappeared.To read the
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Early morning crash on Dent Bridge RoadA
1999 Ford Expedition driven by Kipp Wright of Orofino went off
of Dent Bridge Road near milepost 4 at
3:30 a.m.
Dec. 19, according to the ClearwaterCounty Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
Wright was driving up Dent Bridge Road when he lost control of the
Expedition while negotiating a left-hand corner. Wright’s
vehicle slid off the road’s right shoulder and through a barbed
wire fence, then overturned, according to CCSO. The vehicle came
to rest on its wheels.To read the
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Lenore man dies in crashThe
NezPerceCounty Sheriff’s Office said a
61-year-old Lenore man, Phillip Jensen, died when his pickup
failed to negotiate a curve and rolled down an embankment on
River Road. Nez Perce Tribal Police
and
Lewiston Medics responded to the
scene at about 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20. To read the
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Rock slide on Grangemont closes one lane
of roadRob
Simon, during the Dec. 16 Clearwater County Commissioners'
meeting, reported on the road crew work. There was a rock slide
on Grangemont Road above the Huckleberry Butte Road. It closed one lane until
was cleared Monday morning.To read the
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Idaho jobless rate drops to 6.1 percent in
NovemberIdaho’s seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent in November, the
largest one-month decline on record. The November rate matched
the post-recession low posted last spring. Locally, unemployment
rates dropped as well. In ClearwaterCounty, the November 2013 rate was
10.8 percent, down from 13.1 percent in October; and even from
last year’s November rate of 11.9. In IdahoCounty, the November rate was 7.6,
down from October’s rate of 9.4 percent, and last November’s
rate of 8.4 percent. Lewis County’s November rate was 5.3
percent, down from 6.2 percent in October. Lewis County’s rate
last November was lower, though, at 5.0 percent.To read the
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Letter to the Editor: Dennis FullerMost
of us have heard the refrain “our government is broken.” Being
red-blooded Americans our natural inclination is to fix it if
it’s broken. That’s why the smooth-talking advocates of a
Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) like Mark Levin and Sean
Hannity have grabbed the attention of many folks with their
solution based on changing our Constitution. As they put it,
“It’s time to turn to the Constitution, to save the
Constitution.” Proponents tell us that the way to preserve the
Constitution is to change it. Many
of the supporters on the Right argue that a modern-day Con-Con
could be contained and limited to one or two conservative
issues. But all of the legal scholars and even our founding
fathers admit that there is no way to alter or limit a Con-Con,
as evidenced by the 1787 Convention which was originally
initiated only to amend the Articles of Confederation. And it is
extremely naïve to think that the “progressives” would sit idly
by while Americanists amend the Constitution in a limited way.
Those on the Left would see this as the perfect chance to inject
FDR’s “second bill of rights” which was unveiled in his 1944
State of the Union address.To read the
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School District newsThe
district just received a professional polling firm telephone
survey of 300 school district patrons to determine their
thoughts and concerns regarding our district. Several people
asked that we keep the public better informed about the
district’s business. That is also a directive to me from the
board of trustees, to “keep the public informed.” I write a
weekly column for the Clearwater Tribune and the Window on
the
Clearwater. All my past columns are
posted on the district website. If you would like to receive the
column directly, please just send me your email, along with a
request, to me at vianr@sd171.k12.id.us and I will put you on
the mailing list for email. One person commented that “you need
to be audited.” I couldn’t agree more. Every school district is
audited each year in Idaho. The audit is reported to
the Board of Trustees in October. I have copies of audits from
past years at the District Office. Please stop by if you would
like a copy.To read the
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Work session resumes for Orofino
Planning and ZoningThe
Planning and Zoning Commission (P/Z) held a public meeting on
Dec. 17. Approximately 10 guests attended to hear more of the
Commissioners’ work session regarding annexation. All of the
commissioners were present. Chairman Stewart opened the meeting
by explaining that public comments would be heard before the
work session only. Joe Chapman, owner of Konkolville Motel spoke
first before the board, stating that the residents and business
owners were adamantly opposed to the annexation of Konkolville.
He claimed that the city had failed to indicate in any way how
those being annexed were to benefit from annexation. Ken Kellar,
resident of Konkolville, addressed the commissioners with the
question of their knowledge pertaining to Title 67. When asked
what specifically Title 67 entailed, he declined additional
explanation, indicating that the Board would need to seek
answers elsewhere.To read the
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Three ways to shoot a pumpkin
Robyn Bonner’s Timberline fourth grade class has spent the last
three months learning to design and build contraptions that
could shoot (as in fire) a pumpkin. Working in four groups,
members of the class chose and built their designs. There was
one catapult, two slingshots, and a trebuchet. Earlier this
month, the students were finally able to put their contraptions
to the test. The slingshots fared best, firing the pumpkins the
entire length of the playground and into the forest. To read the
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Holiday Home Lighting Contest lights up
Orofino
Orofino Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Home Lighting Contest took
place Dec. 14-15, and featured six well deserved entrants.
Cheryl Jenks (Bobber Loop, Ahsahka) took home first
place. Richard and Margaret Whitten (408 Brown Ave), Ike
Fackenthall (19 Northfork Dr, Ahsahka), Dave and Janet Owsley
(501 Grangemont Road), Ed Lozar (12894 Hartford Ave) and Danelle
Pederson (12260 Grand Ave) receiving honorable mentions. Chamber
Director Kim S-Browning is encouraging people to take time out
of their busy holiday schedules and drive through Orofino and
Ahsahka to see the record amount of homes helping ring in the
new year and adding sparkle to Christmas. To read the
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Weippe Library Lego League competes
Weippe Library’s First Lego League (FLL) teams prepared for many
weeks to go to the FLL
Lewiston competition Dec. 7. We had
two teams that researched different aspects of “Nature's Fury.”
“Prepare, Stay Safe, Rebuild” was the objective of this year's
theme. The teams were: Landsliders with Reggie Thomas, Cameron
Summerfield, and Emilee Widener; and the Wildcats, with Levi
Armichardy, Rylee Fallwell, and Kaylie Fallwell.To read the
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From this ChairIf
muddy icy slush and dirty snow can be considered a White
Christmas then Orofino will have it this year for sure. It
snowed over seven inches here in 15 hours this past weekend.
Then it started to rain. All the street gutters in downtown
Orofino are filled with melting snow and icy waters. The weather
is overcast and skies are grey. The Christmas lights around town
and the residential areas light up an otherwise dreary
situation. This time of year I’m happy to receive a call from
Julia Irby inviting us to her and Alex’s solstice party on Dec.
21 the first day of winter and also the shortest day of the
year. The party means the shortest day and longest night are
over for this year and life will brighten up with the days
getting longer and the nights shorter. The Irbys’ annual
solstice parties are a treat, complete with a variety of food,
friends and highlighted by fireworks being shot off. The colored
fireworks are gorgeous against the snow this time of year.To read the
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Down Memory Lane70
Years Ago - The Elk
River
correspondent, L.A. Foster, created a year-end
review of sorts for Elk
River.
Some of the things mentioned were: Elk River had the most snowfall in several years; more food than
ever before was produced from Elk River’s VictoryGardens; and the forest fire hazard
was the lowest ever. There was also a list of about two dozen
men who enlisted in the Navy. A flu epidemic struck the small
community. And because the temperature got as low as zero
degrees, which was a new low for the new winter, all the banana
trees were expected to freeze.To read the
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Kids love to craft at OBS Design Center
Seventy-five children participated in Orofino Builders Supply
(OBS) DesignCenter’s latest crafting event,
held Dec. 13. Children were able to create a Christmas present
at this event. “These events are well-attended, and Stephanie
does a wonderful job of finding fun, creative things for the
young ones to make,” said Leila Crocket of OBS. “Thanks to all
who took the time to bring their children and make this another
successful event.” The DesignCenter’s crafting events are held
several times a year, and another is scheduled for this spring.To read the
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Clearwater Over Snow Motor Vehicle Use
Maps available in JanuaryNez
Perce-Clearwater National Forests plan to have the Clearwater Over Snow Vehicle Use Maps
(OSVUMs) available to the public by mid- January, 2014. We
expect to release the OSVUMs in early January and at that time
full implementation of the closures will begin. OSVUMs are the
winter travel map for the ClearwaterNational Forest. The Clearwater Motor
Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) designating forest roads, trails and
areas open to motor vehicle use has been available since
November, 2013 and is posted on our WWW at:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/nezperceclearwater/maps-pubs.To read the
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Happenings on the Hilltop
Ashley Walsh and
Lowell Hylton were married at the
Weippe Fire Department on Thursday, Dec. 19. Ashley’s parents
are Keith and Lisa Weyerts of Weippe. Lowell’s parents are Pat and Doug
Kingen of Weippe. The couple plans to make their home in Weippe.
The wedding was a beautiful Christmas Themed wedding. Maid of
Honor was Ashley’s sister Kaitlynn Weyerts. Best men were Greg
Klug and Keith Weyerts. The bride was given away by her dad
Keith Weyerts. Ashley’s mom officiated the wedding. Ashley’s
children Gerad and Annaliese were also there to give mommy away.To read the
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Fraser newsThe
Fraser community sends Happy Holiday greetings to everyone. It looks like we are going to
have a white Christmas. We woke up to three inches of new snow
on Thursday, Dec. 19, and the weather forecast is for more snow
over the weekend. Don’t let the dates confuse you. Due to the
Christmas holiday falling on Wednesday this year and “early
copy” had to be turned in on Friday, Dec. 22. Any way it turns
out, we hope you had a very Merry Christmas. We have enjoyed
hearing from family and friends as their Christmas cards have
arrived in the mail. Their letters contain comments and pictures
of their activities throughout the year. Many of you have email
and Facebook to connect with everyone on a regular basis, but
snail mail works for the rest of us; and Steve and I are in that
category. Oreta Stuart’s daughter Lisa Curnutt treated her to a
special early birthday outing on Sunday, Dec. 15. They spent the
day in Moscow.To read the
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But under the proposed legislation,
hunters and anglers would be able to lock in the price of their
hunting and fishing license for the next three to five years.

Idaho Fish and Game is hoping hunters and anglers will
like this idea, called a "fee lock." Agency officials think it
will help raise needed revenue, and at the same time reduce the
need for fee increases.